Railway-car for pleasure-railways.



J. A. MILLER. RAILWAY CAR FOR PLEASURE RAIL-WAYS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16. 1910.

979,982, Patented De0.27,1910.

' l i J9 l I J9 26 40 In: if

I Wow 1 W QM JOHN A. MILLER, OF HOMEWOOD, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY-CAR FOR PLEASURE-RAILWAYS.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN'A. MILLER, of Homewood, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Railway-Cars for Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in railway cars of the character employed in pleasure railways and similar amusement apparatus of the type popularly known as roller coasters, gravity railways, or scenic railways.

As usually constructed such apparatus is provided with a narrow gage railway track,

having a steep ascending grade from near the starting point or station until a considerable elevation is reached, from which elevation the track proceeds with various curves, or loops, and with a succession of descending and ascending grades or dips, the highest point of elevation of each succeeding descending grade being lower than the highest point of the next preceding one, and this continues until the track reaches its lowest level and returns to the starting point or loading station. Apparatus of this character is ordinarily equipped with a plurality of passenger cars adapted to the track, and in operation each car, with its passengers is carried forward by mechanical means from the starting point at the loading station, up to the top of the incline or'grade. -From this point the car runs forward by gravity, down and up the successive grades and around the various curves and loops until it returns to the starting point where the passengers are unloaded.

In pleasure railways of the character described and claimed in Letters Patent Number 937 ,456, granted to me October 19,1909, the cars travel at an exceedingly high rate of speed and it is essential to provide some auxiliary means to prevent the traction wheels from leaving the tracks, especially at the curves.

The present invention has for its object the provision of simple and improved means to aid in resisting the end thrust of the car axles, whereby the tendency of the wheels to climb OK the rail is prevented.

A further object is to provide bearing wheels for the sides of each car and improved means for supporting the same.

The invention will be hereinafter fully Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 16, 1910.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Serial No. 555,824.

set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side view of a car provided with my improved safety device. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating one of the side bearing wheels and its adjuncts. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a car of any suitable or preferred structure and of the type usually employed in pleasure railways. Said car is provided with bearings 13 to receive the axles 14 of the traction wheels 15, the latter being provided with flanges 16 and adapted to travel upon suitable tracks. The bearings 13 are supported by metal brace plates 17 provided with angular portions 18 embracing beams 19 secured to the underside of the car.

The side bearing wheels 20 are each mounted to rotate between plates 21 formed in a casing 22, supported upon a standard 23 having flanges 24 secured to the braces 17. It will be noted that the standard 23 is immediately over the axle lat and that the back 25 of the casing is secured to the side of the car by suitable fastening devices 26. The plates 21 are strengthened by sides 27 and the upper plate is further braced by a web 28.

In practice each track is provided with suitable upright guide rails (not shown) upon which the wheels 20 bear, said tracks extending throughout the course to be traveled by the car. The flanges of the traction wheels 15 tend normally to keep said wheels to the track but the swaying and vibrations of high speed of travel are such that there is a constant tendency of said flanges to climb oif the rail. By placing the side bearing wheels 20, directly over the axles, however, I find that the end thrust on the axle due to the swaying and vibrations is taken up by said bearing wheels, thus resisting the climbing tendency of the traction wheels at all times and enabling the flanges to hold the latter to the rails. This function is the same whether traveling straight ahead or around curves.

I claim as my invention.

1. In a car for pleasure railways, the combination with the car body of a brace secured thereto, traction wheels, bearings for sald traction wheels supported between the ends of said brace, a casing supported by said brace above said bearings and in line therewith, and a side bearingwheel mounted in said casing.

2. In a car for pleasure railways, thecombination with the car body of a brace secured thereto, traction wheels, bearings for said traction wheels supported between the ends of said brace, a casing provided with a standard secured to said brace above said bearings and in line therewith, and a side bearing wheel mounted in said casing.

3. In a car for pleasure railways, the combination with the car body of a brace secured thereto, traction wheels, bearings for said traction wheels supported by said brace, a; casing provided with spaced apart flanges and having a standard extending upwardly from said brace and in line with said bearings, and a side bearing wheel mounted be-f tween said flanges.

4. In a car for pleasure railways, the com-Q bination with the car body, of a brace secured thereto, tract-1011 wheels, bearlngs sup-:

ported by saidbrace, a casing provided with a back plate and spaced apart flanges, and a standard secured to said brace above said bearings and in line therewith, and a side bearing wheel mounted between said flanges.

brace above said bearings and in line therewith, said caslng being provided with means for strengthening said flanges, and a side bearing wheel mounted between said flanges.

6. In a car for pleasure railways, the combination with the car body provided on its underside with spaced apart cross beams, flanged traction wheels, bearings therefor supported between the ends of saidbeams, and side bearing wheels also supported by said beams above said bearings and in line therewith.

7. In a car for pleasure railways, the combination with the car body provided on its underside with spaced apart cross beams, brace plates secured between the ends of said beams, flanged traction wheels, bearings therefor secured to said brace plates, and side bearing wheels also secured to said brace plates above said bearings and in line therewith.

8. In a car for pleasure railways, the combination with the car body provided on its under side with spaced apart cross beams, brace plates having their ends provided with angular portions embracing said beams, traction wheel bearings secured to said brace plates, and side bearing wheels also secured to said brace plates above said bearings and in line therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. MILLER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. L. ALEXANDER, FREDERICK INGERsoLL. 

